Last Modified: Friday, June 21, 2013 at 5:44 p.m.

I commend these remarks to our president. He, of course, will continue to ignore the obvious end result of his (and the Internal Revenue Service’s) tinkering with our freedom and privacy — a totalitarian state.

We know the National Security Agency has been working hand-in-glove with the three major telephone companies to “mine” our phone calls, while protesting that we have nothing to fear. It’s called “metadata” and does not include the content of the phone conversations.

But wait! The Washington Post recently reported that there is yet another program in which the NSA and FBI have been tapping “directly” into the central servers of leading U.S. Internet companies to gain access to emails, photographs, audio, video, documents, connection logs and other information that enable analysts to track a person’s movements and contacts over time.”

Some of the companies named in the article (Google, Apple, Yahoo and Facebook) gave direct access to the NSA and the FBI, which means these major governmental agencies have real-time access to your Internet activity.

Has 1984 returned with a vengeance? Impeachment sounds wonderful.

Bob Stevens

Hendersonville

Zipping for Autism

To the editor: Sunshine broke through the clouds on Sunday, June 2. Thirty-three teams and hundreds of volunteers gathered at Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures, undaunted by the elements. They assembled to raise money for the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC). Various corporate sponsors joined Wells Fargo to make the event a success.

Our team, innerQuest, confronted individual and collective fears, and did its part to push total donations past $37,000. Sheena and Jeff Greiner, with the zipline company, have a child with an autism spectrum disorder.

Robyn Miller, a psychiatrist at innerQuest with special training in ASD, said, “Autism spectrum disorder occurs in one in 88 children, but it affects many families, classmates and others.” The ASNC provides assessment, advocacy, education and direct services for the ASD community across our state. Many of the estimated 60,000 people with ASD in North Carolina wouldn’t receive services were it not for ASNC.

Undoubtedly, the Greiners, service director Joe Yurchak and others touched by ASD will be back again next year, ‘Zipping for Autism.’ These days, it is encouraging to see that even a downpour can’t dampen the spirit of people on a mission.

Leonard L. Cruz

Asheville

More parking

To the editor: Why spend millions to try to fix up a run-down eyesore like the Grey Hosiery Mill when you could tear it down for less and pave it for parking, as the city and Main Street need parking? The tram could move people from the parking lot to Main Street and back.

The County Courthouse could use it for the employee parking so that people going to the courthouse could find a place to park after the new Sheriff’s Office took up one of the two parking lots.

Besides, if something was built at the mill site, there would be no parking for that business, plus they would try to park in the courthouse parking lot, which is already full.

<p>To the editor: Benjamin Franklin wrote: They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.</p><p>I commend these remarks to our president. He, of course, will continue to ignore the obvious end result of his (and the Internal Revenue Service’s) tinkering with our freedom and privacy  a totalitarian state.</p><p>We know the National Security Agency has been working hand-in-glove with the three major telephone companies to mine our phone calls, while protesting that we have nothing to fear. It’s called metadata and does not include the content of the phone conversations.</p><p>But wait! The Washington Post recently reported that there is yet another program in which the NSA and FBI have been tapping directly into the central servers of leading U.S. Internet companies to gain access to emails, photographs, audio, video, documents, connection logs and other information that enable analysts to track a person’s movements and contacts over time.</p><p>Some of the companies named in the article (Google, Apple, Yahoo and Facebook) gave direct access to the NSA and the FBI, which means these major governmental agencies have real-time access to your Internet activity.</p><p>Has 1984 returned with a vengeance? Impeachment sounds wonderful.</p><p><em>Bob Stevens</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Zipping for Autism</h3>
<p>To the editor: Sunshine broke through the clouds on Sunday, June 2. Thirty-three teams and hundreds of volunteers gathered at Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures, undaunted by the elements. They assembled to raise money for the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC). Various corporate sponsors joined Wells Fargo to make the event a success.</p><p>Our team, innerQuest, confronted individual and collective fears, and did its part to push total donations past $37,000. Sheena and Jeff Greiner, with the zipline company, have a child with an autism spectrum disorder.</p><p>Robyn Miller, a psychiatrist at innerQuest with special training in ASD, said, Autism spectrum disorder occurs in one in 88 children, but it affects many families, classmates and others. The ASNC provides assessment, advocacy, education and direct services for the ASD community across our state. Many of the estimated 60,000 people with ASD in North Carolina wouldn’t receive services were it not for ASNC.</p><p>Undoubtedly, the Greiners, service director Joe Yurchak and others touched by ASD will be back again next year, Zipping for Autism.’ These days, it is encouraging to see that even a downpour can’t dampen the spirit of people on a mission.</p><p><em>Leonard L. Cruz</em></p><p><em>Asheville</em></p><h3>More parking</h3>
<p>To the editor: Why spend millions to try to fix up a run-down eyesore like the Grey Hosiery Mill when you could tear it down for less and pave it for parking, as the city and Main Street need parking? The tram could move people from the parking lot to Main Street and back.</p><p>The County Courthouse could use it for the employee parking so that people going to the courthouse could find a place to park after the new Sheriff’s Office took up one of the two parking lots.</p><p>Besides, if something was built at the mill site, there would be no parking for that business, plus they would try to park in the courthouse parking lot, which is already full.</p><p><em>Glenn Daily</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p>